The Gift, an Avatar Fan Fiction
by ManticSky
Summary: After finally being accepted back home, Zuko recieves a gift that brings the atrocity is that a word? of his country into his perspective. Will he follow in his father's footsteps or choose his own path? And will he bring a friend? Rated T for situation
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER!!!!!!! : I do not own, have never owned, will never owned, and am not associated in any way with the owners of Avatar, except through obsession and premeditated stalking. **

**Author's Note: **This is not supposed to be too long, just a few chapters about how Zuko really is a good person. Ling is an OC, and this was not originally a romance, but we'll see. Oh, and review please! Thanks!

**THE GIFT **

Zuko breathed heavily. He was being called for a private meeting with his father. He had just recently restored his honor and been welcomed home, and he did not want to give his father any reason to distrust him. Fire Lord Ozai believed that Zuko had slain the Avatar, but how long would the glory of that last? Starting fresh was the best way to ensure the throne.

He walked through the doorway dignifiedly to find a small group of soldiers kneeling at his father's feet. He bowed, and Ozai motioned for him to sit, which he quickly obliged.

The head soldier stood and spoke. "My lord, the town of Gong Bei has, as you commanded, been successfully demolished, and their resources are being transported as we speak to support the Fire Nation. Also," he paused, and looked at Zuko, "we have a gift for your son, Prince Zuko. Your highness," he bowed to the scarred prince, "please accept this sign of gratitude. For your pleasure, we have captured this thing. It tried to sneak disgusting little children out of the village, but thankfully we were able to catch it." He turned, and a couple soldiers entered with something that made Zuko's eyes grow wide and his mouth go sour. There, thrown on the floor like a dirty rag, was a young woman, no older than Zuko.

Her hair was covering her face, and her green dress was torn and dirty, stained with blood. Her arms which feebly tried to keep her face off the ground, were red with bleeding and whipping. A pang of regret pulsed through Zuko, and he gasped when his father started laughing, cruelly and maliciously. The other soldiers also joined in his laughter, and a couple even kicked at her like an animal.

Zuko sat there, shocked and horrified that his own nation could do something so... _barbaric_.

Ozai suddenly seized the laughter. "So, send it to Prince Zuko's quarters immediately. You are all dismissed."

Zuko, horrified, quickly bowed to his father and then looked at the girl as she was pulled off the ground and dragged out the door. He saw her face, not clearly, but still enough to see that tears ran down it steadily.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two of The Gift. ENJOY! I know I took forever to update and I had left it hanging, and I'm sorry but I've been working on a new fic. It's InuYasha, actually, and I can't say much about it right now, but it's gonna be a well-known trilogy with InuYasha characters in it. It should be up by Monday. Thanks, to anyone who cares enough to read what I write, and, to anyone who can beta, I need one, like, uber bad. Arigato!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own Avatar. (Hold back laughter) OKAY FINE! I don't. But shhh! Don't tell anyone! Being poor is bad for my image. **

**THE GIFT**

**Chapter 2**

_What do I do!? _Zuko thought as he stood in front of his door. He could hear whimpers inside, and they sounded really sad. He inhaled, took his hair down to make himself not look as scary, and walked inside. Laying on the floors, sprawled into a very uncomfortable looking pose, was the young Earth Kingdom girl.

Zuko bent down to help her, but she slapped his hand away and glared harshly. She sat up slowly, and backed as far away from him as possible.

Zuko wondered what she was so worked up about, (other than being enslaved by pyrocratic maniacs) and then came to the realization. _Oh...she must think I'm going to....oh. _

"Don't you dare touch me! Stay away!" She pulled the hair out of her face and, for the first time, Zuko got a clear look at her face. She would have been pretty, Zuko had to admit, were her face not bruised and her lip not busted and bleeding.

Zuko nodded and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Are you hurt?" he asked, watching her cling to the chair on the other side of his room. "Gee, what do _you_ think? They told me the Fire Nation was an _advanced_ society." She snorted and, covering her side and sucking as much blood from her lip as possible, gathered all of her energy and made it into position where she could sit in the chair.

Zuko chuckled in spite of himself. "Let me see your wounds."

"_No._ I'm _fine._ Let me go if you really care." She shot.

Zuko stood, his (non-existent, but still a nice idea) patience was growing thin. "Believe me, I don't. But it would be rude to let you die on your first day in my house. Now_ let me see your wounds._"

Reluctantly, the girl removed her hand from her side. Her dress was ripped, revealing a series of red, irritated slashes that were unmistakably Fire Nation.

He nodded, "You need treatment."

"No way. Never would've guessed." She said sarcastically as Zuko went to send the guards for a physician.

He turned to look at her. "So..." he sighed, sitting on the side of his bed, "I've, uh, never had a..." _What was the right word to use? Slave? Gift" Peasant?_ "...Captive...before, so I don't usually talk to Earth Kingdom commoners...uh, well, I guess we've never been introduced, so, uh, I'm Pri-"

She cut him off. "I know who you are _Prince Zuko._ You're a monster! You destroyed the world's last hope for peace! You slayed a _child!_" She angrily spat.

Zuko glared. He didn't like being reminded of that night. "Fine. If you want to be hostile, then Agni I'll show you hostile!" He threw a small fireball in her general direction. It missed, but it was still enough to silence her. He saw that tears were swelling in her eyes.

Her eyes. He hadn't noticed before. They were the strangest color, an electric green with a golden outlining, making them shimmer in the firelight. He wanted to stare into them, but caught himself, and looked away.

"So, do you have a name, or should I just call you peasant?" He asked quietly, still looking away.

He looked back to her, and she surprised him by showing him a small smile. "My name is Ling. I was named after my grandmother, a great Earthbender and a direct descendant of Oma." Her face turned hard again.

Zuko shook his head, trying to keep that stupid tune out. It didn't work. Ling breathed outwardly in frustration. "You people are either extremely shallow or deep beyond my comprehension."

Zuko chuckled a bit.

_KNOCK KNOCK!! _

"_Physician!"_ Called a voice. Zuko got up, leaving Ling alone to ponder what had just happened.

**So that's it! Well, not IT it, but that's the end of chapter two. Chapter three is on it's way, but, as I said before, I'm working on some other stuff. Thanks for reading, aishiteru if you read it all. Domo Arigato Gonzaimasu, Raven Black. **


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